"Rigging home pitch for win and end up losing"- Top 10 funny memes as India lose home Test series after almost 12 years
New Zealand continued their dominance in the India tour by winning the second Test by 113 runs to take an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three-match series. It was India's first Test series loss at home since England beat them in December 2012. They won 18 straight series after that until the current one.
New Zealand batted first after winning the toss and scored 259 runs in the first innings. Mitchell Santner then spun a web around the Indian batters. He picked up a sensational seven-wicket haul to restrict the opposition to 156, helping his team take a crucial 103-run lead.
The Kiwis then made 255 in their second innings, setting India a daunting target of 359 on a tricky surface. The batting unit let the hosts down again in the final innings as they bundled for 245 in the third session of Day 3 to lose the match and the series. Santner picked up six wickets in the second innings and ended with 13 scalps across the contest.
Team India's poor performances in the first two Tests against New Zealand disappointed the fans, who vented their frustrations on social media platforms by sharing memes. Here are some of the best memes:
"It was not what we expected"- India captain Rohit Sharma after losing second Test vs New Zealand 2024 in Pune
At the post-match presentation, Rohit Sharma reflected on the disappointing loss, saying:
"Disappointing. It was not what we expected. But we have to give credit to NZ. They played better than us. They threw certain challenges at us. We failed to respond to challenges. I don't think we batted well enough. Continuous pressure from both sides meant we couldn't respond to the challenges."
"From 200/3, for us to come back to bowl them out for 259 was great from us. It was a pitch where not much was happening, we just didn't bat well enough. Things would've been slightly different had we got a bit closer in the first innings."
Looking ahead, Rohit added:
"We want to show up well on Wankhede and win that Test. It's about not focusing too far ahead. It's a collective failure. I am not someone who'd blame the batter or bowlers. We'll come out with a better intent, better ideas and better mindset."
The third and final Test of the series will begin on Friday (November 1) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.